Hey there. What’s your name? A simple western name like John, Pablo, Mary, Jill or Victor can be the hardest thing for Thai tongues to say fluently. Just like how Tannakorn, Somporn Wittaya or Pranee is hard to say for Western tongues. After all, their language is vastly different from Roman based languages. Not to worry! Everyone in Thailand practically has a nickname, which should make name remembering and name calling much easier for you. Plus, you can have a nickname you can take back home with you too.

Nicknames are called chue len in Thai, which in turn means play name. And what a fitting way to call this concept. Yes, the names are fun and feels like something that is reserved for a cartoon character instead. Do you know of anyone named Pig, Chicken, Banana, Black or Elephant back home? Well, it is a common thing in Thailand! This nickname concept summarizes the sanook (fun) and saba-sabai (easy going) nature of the people.

Some nicknames are just short abbreviations of longer names (similar to how Benjamin becomes Ben). And yes, Ben is also a Thai nickname, short for Benjamat. But let’s get back to those goofy nicknames, shall we? Interestingly, some people are called based on their physical features. So yes, a cubby kid might be called Moo (pig), someone with a dark complexion might be called Dum (black), or someone with oriental eyes might be called Mui (oriental eyes on females) or Tee (a boy’s name for someone with Chinese ancestry).

But that’s not all. Kids can be given nicknames based on their birthday, so Chan (Monday) or Noo (mouse, one of the signs in the Chinese zodiac) are also common. Other times someone may just like something a lot, so a person name Pun (short for apple) may love to eat apples. Other common nicknames are numbers like Ake (meaning first, which could mean he is the first born child), or precious stones like Gaew (meaning Crystal, isn’t it a nice sounding girl’s name?) or even colors like Daeng (meaning red, the official color for Sunday).

Nicknames are also great for conversation starters. Think about it. A Thai person may introduce themselves with their first and last name (which is difficult to remember, even for Thais). Then you ask what his or her nickname is. And then you may ask what the origin of the name is. See how easy it is to start up a friendly chat?

Thai nicknames are not just for Thais, you can very well have one for yourself! Maybe you can make up one right now. Or if you need help, ask your new Thai friend for suggestions. Have fun and enjoy Thailand!

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